Fuzzy Fantasies
by Ashley Hammond Astro Yellow
Summary: (Epilogue to rosabelle317's Hazy Dreams, read it first. Written with explicit permission from the original author.) Two years is a long time. Things change. But if two people are willing to meet in the middle, change can be for the better.


_Disclaimer_ _: Not mine! Donations are welcome._

 _Summary_ _: Epilogue to rosabelle317's Hazy Dreams. Written with explicit permission from the original author. Two years is a long time. Things change. But if two people are willing to meet in the middle, change can be for the better._

 **Fuzzy Fantasies**

'You—you're still my best friend,' Andros blurted out. 'If… if that's still what you want.'

Somehow that was what he needed to hear. Maybe not all that he wanted to hear, but it was a start. His answer was slower coming than it had ever been before, but it hadn't changed. Andros was his best friend. It just killed him that he wouldn't ever again be anything more.

'And you're mine.'

Outside of the holding bay Ashley stood with her back pressed against the wall and her hand covering her mouth. Tears were pooling in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop or to hear what she just heard, but she had been on her way to get a drink when she'd heard the voices. Something had stopped her from interrupting the conversation.

She should've walked away, Ashley told herself. The moment she realised what they were saying she should've stopped listening. But she hadn't and now the weight of the knowledge was crushing her. It was stupid to feel guilty. Neither had given any indication of it and Andros had asked _her_ on a date. And yet.

Her heart broke for Zhane. She wanted nothing more than to take him in her arms and tell him everything would be alright. But how could it be? And she was pretty sure she was about the last person in the universe he'd want to see right now.

Slowly she pushed away from the wall and made her way to her room. The long way round so she wouldn't have to walk past the door to the holding bay.

Was she willing to give up Andros so Zhane could have him back?

No, the answer came to her in an instant. Andros could've pulled away from her when Zhane woke up, but he hadn't. It wasn't her fault they were feeling like this, she told herself firmly. Andros had chosen _her_ and both she and Zhane would have to learn to accept that.

But then why did it suddenly feel so wrong?

 **Two weeks later**

'Are you sure you wanna stay?' TJ asked.

'They need my help,' Zhane answered determinedly. 'They're building weapons to defend themselves against Dark Spector.'

'And thanks to all of you, some day we will return to KO-35,' Kinwon smiled at them.

Putting a smile on her face, Ashley stepped forward. She pressed a kiss against Zhane's cheek. She knew he wasn't giving them all his reasons for leaving. Somewhere in her heart she was glad he was taking a step back, allowing her and Andros to build at their relationship without him looming over Andros like a dark shadow of guilt. But another part of her heart broke for him, again. Life wasn't fair, but both Andros and Zhane had been through so much already. Again she had to fight the guilt over coming between them, whether that was really true of not.

Attempting to push her guilt away, she caught Zhane's eye and shot him a grin. 'So tell me, how will you survive without us, huh?'

Catching on to her attempt to lighten the mood, Zhane returned her grin. 'Hard to imagine, huh?'

She stepped aside to let Andros say his goodbye and watched him hug Zhane close.

'Take care of yourself,' Andros told him. 'You're my best friend.'

'And you're mine,' Zhane echoed after only a short pause to clasp his hand. Zhane looked around at the sad faces of the other rangers and grinned. 'Don't worry, someday when you least expect it, I'll be back.'

It wasn't until they were back on the Megaship that the weight of the separation truly settled in. Ashley felt like a weight was lifted off her that she'd been carrying around since she'd overheard that conversation. Zhane had silently surrendered Andros over to her with his decision to stay, she knew that. But somehow, she felt like they were leaving a part of Andros behind with him.

 **A few months later**

Dejectedly Ashley dropped her arm and stared at the closed door. She'd been knocking and coaxing for almost fifteen minutes now without a reply. It was time to take the hint he wasn't going to talk to her. She wrapped her arms around herself and started walking in a random direction, a shiver running down her spine.

After a while she found herself in front of the doors to the observation deck. A small smile played on her lips. They'd had their first date here. It had been simple, sweet and perfect. It was here Andros had worked up the nerve to kiss her for the first time. Somehow, by some unspoken reason, it had become their spot. If he wanted to talk, this is probably where he'd come to look for her.

She stepped closer so the doors slid open and froze. A figure was already occupying the couch in the middle of the deck, staring blindly off into space.

The sound of the door shook him out of his thoughts and he glanced over his shoulder. 'Oh, it's you.'

He hadn't managed to keep the hurt or biting tone out of his voice and she flinched a little at that.

'I'll leave you alone,' she muttered, turning back around.

'No! Ash… I didn't mean… You can come in if you want.'

'But you'd rather I didn't,' Ashley answered, her back still turned to him to hide the tears springing into her eyes. It wasn't fair. She hadn't asked for this. She hadn't thrown herself at Andros and forced him to forget what he'd had before. But in that moment, Zhane had made her feel like an intruder.

'I'm sorry,' Zhane tried again. 'That didn't come out the way it should've. I…'

'You're hurting because he's hurting,' Ashley nodded, still not turning around. 'Because you care too much, you hurt when he does. I know.'

'What?' Zhane sounded surprised.

'I heard you, okay. That one night in holding bay. I didn't mean to overhear but I did. Please don't tell Andros?' she spun around now, her eyes pleading with him.

Zhane sighed and opened his arms to her. 'Come here.'

All her walls broke and she crossed the space between them, flinging herself into his arms and allowing the tears to fall as Zhane wrapped his arms securely around her.

'Have you been carrying this around all that time?' he whispered into her hair. She nodded against his shoulder and Zhane tightened his arms around her. 'You should've told us. What happened was not your fault, Ash. We would've told you that. You didn't come between us. Life just happened. Yes, it hurt, but you're good to him. And you're good for him. I see the way his eyes light up when he looks at you. Don't you doubt that he's yours.'

'But a part of him will always belong to you,' Ashley whispered back. 'You must know that. He'll never truly be just mine.'

'I lost my claim on him when I left him hurt and alone for two years,' Zhane told her.

'But you didn't and it wasn't exactly your choice to leave him.'

'This whole situation is fucked up,' Zhane shrugged. 'There's no easy way to fix it, because this situation can't be fixed. No matter what we do, someone is going to lose.'

Ashley didn't answer and just closed her eyes. Zhane stroked her hair and slowly felt her relax against him. Sometime later she bit back a yawn and felt Zhane's chest rumble with soft laughter.

'I get what Andros saw in you,' Ashley muttered. 'You're comfortable.'

He let out his laugh for real this time. 'You're pretty huggable yourself,' he replied. 'And pretty and funny and kind.'

'Well, you're funny too and easy on the eyes,' Ashley giggled, pulling back to look him in the eye.

'I _am_ happy you make him happy,' Zhane told her, suddenly serious now she was looking at him.

'You just wish it was you,' Ashley smiled at him softly.

'Yeah,' he nodded.

He frowned when he saw Ashley's eyes flash to his lips for a moment. She bit her bottom lip and he loosened his hold on her. Something had shifted between them and he had to pull away now. He was about to tell Ashley that maybe they should get moving, when he was interrupted by her lips brushing softly against his. Involuntarily he felt himself react to the kiss, returning it tentatively.

It might have lasted only a few seconds, but it felt much longer. His heart was beating in his throat. This was his best friend's girlfriend and he shouldn't be kissing her. Months ago, before Andros had even worked up the courage to ask her out, he had assured him he was just friends with Ashley. Just good friends.

'Sorry,' she whispered. 'I just… I just wondered… You're a good kisser…'

Zhane laughed. 'You're not so bad yourself.'

Ashley closed her eyes and bit her lip again. She seemed to contemplate something. Zhane sat frozen, afraid to broke the fragile bubble that had appeared around them. Something had changed and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

'I can't believe I'm saying this. I'm not that kind of girl, but… You're different. And… I… we… I could share?'

Zhane stiffened. Was she really saying what he thought she was saying? Could that even work? What would Andros think?

'Like… take turns share?' he asked.

Ashley groaned and shook her head. 'It sounds really bad when you put it like that,' she complained. 'But… that's not what I was saying.'

Zhane's eyes grew wide as he watched her. He found himself contemplating her lips and quickly closed his eyes. This was a bad idea, a very bad idea. And yet.

'Shouldn't Andros have a say in it?' he chocked eventually.

'He doesn't even have to know about this if you don't want to…'

His lips on hers cut her off, a hand reached up and buried into her hair. Her hands tangled into his hair and his other arm pulled her closer. Her body pressed against his felt right somehow.

They didn't hear the door slide open, nor did they see the person standing open mouthed in the door opening.

'What?!' the exclamation had them pulling their heads away from each other.

Zhane looked at his friend guiltily, but Ashley just gave him a soft smile and held her hand out to him. 'Come here?' she requested gently.

Zhane saw the troubled look in Andros's eyes, but was surprised he came over anyway. He stopped in front of them and with a tug on his arm, Ashley got him to sit down. Pulling away from Zhane, she crawled onto Andros's lap. His startled expression told Zhane she hadn't been that bold before. But when she rested her hands on his cheeks and pressed her lips to his. Andros's eyes slipped shut and his arms instinctively wrapped around her.

'Zhane and I were talking,' Ashley muttered against Andros's lips.

'That didn't look like talking to me,' Andros grumbled, pulling away to glare at them.

'She knows, Andros,' Zhane sighed.

Andros looked confused for a second, before comprehension drew and he shot Ashley a guilty and wounded look.

'I…' he began, but Ashley placed a finger on his lip.

'I'm not angry. I'm not hurt. But I do know you'll never be mine. Not completely anyway,' she sighed. 'And it would be unfair of me to expect you to be. If you really think about it… you and Zhane never really broke up.'

'But when Ashley entered your life, you can never be mine again. Not completely,' Zhane added, understanding where Ashley was going.

'We got talking…' Ashley picked up again. 'And I realised… Zhane's a pretty face.'

'And Ashley's not ugly either,' Zhane grinned.

'You can't be just mine and you can't be just his…' Ashley bit her lip and looked down for a moment. She looked back up at Andros through her eyelashes, finding she now had his undivided attention. 'But… if you're willing to… you could be ours?'

Andros drew in a breath. 'What if I don't?' he asked tentatively.

'Then we forget this conversation ever happened,' Zhane answered decidedly. 'You continue dating Ashley, marry her and have insanely beautiful children who all look like their mother, of course.'

Andros laughed at that, his arms tightening around Ashley. 'You'd be okay with that?'

'Well, no,' Ashley made a face. 'I'm hoping dual toned hair is hereditary,' she teased, tugging at his ponytail. 'But if you're referring to sharing you with Zhane… He's not a bad kisser.'

Andros glanced at Zhane and the other shrugged. 'I could get used to kissing a girl every now and then. Especially since you happened to find a girl as pretty, funny and wonderful as me.'

Andros laughed again.

'So… is that a yes?' Ashley prodded him gently.

'I should warn you. Zhane snores,' Andros smiled.

'Andros kicks,' Zhane accused.

'Jeff says I talk in my sleep,' Ashley shrugged.

Andros looked at the two people meaning most to him in the whole universe and slowly nodded. 'Well, if you two are absolutely sure about this. How can I say no?'

Zhane launched himself at them. Wrapping his arms around them. Andros barely managed to hold on to Ashley as he was jolted and keep her from falling. She gripped his arm painfully to steady herself, while Zhane's lips brushed hungrily against his. When Zhane pulled back, Ashley took advantage of the space that was created to nuzzle her head against his shoulder contently. Zhane leaned against them and even though the weight of two people leaning against him was uncomfortable, Andros couldn't be happier.

'We'll get Karone back, you know,' Ashley suddenly whispered softly. 'We won't stop fighting until we do.'

Andros suddenly remembered the reason he'd come to the observation deck in the first place and smiled. He'd felt guilty about ignoring her earlier, while all she was trying to do was be there for him and maybe cheer him up. He'd come to apologize, maybe even allow Ashley to take his mind off of it for a moment.

'I know,' he agreed, kissing the top of her head. 'So, Zhane… about your date with Karone.'

'Rebound girl,' Zhane shrugged.

'Your rebound girl was Astronema?' Ashley sniggered. 'I'm not going to be there when you tell her about us. I'm not willing to risk her temper.'

'I thought we were in this together,' Zhane whined.

'I agree with Ashley,' Andros smirked. 'We are in this together, but you can solve that on your own.'

Zhane pouted and Andros and Ashley laughed at him. Andros wasn't going to fool himself this was going to be easy between them, somewhere deep down, he knew they were going to make it. Together.


End file.
